July- Work, More Work, Liberty University, Appomattox Court House, Parenting

 July has come and gone, and teacher in-service begins in less than a week. I am so not ready to go back to school, but I know that when the time comes, I will be ready…Lord willing. I’ve put a lot of energy and effort into thinking and preparing for the school year, and my biggest prayer request is that I will point my students to Jesus. 

We worked a lot this summer, and I mean a whole lot! Everyone has been working except Emma, and shes’s enjoyed lots of time at the pool and time spent with Aunt Jen. (I am very thankful for Jen and her willingness to help out with our kids) 

On July 4th, we spent the day as a family. We attempted to go to the beach, but that was an epic fail as the beach was so crowded! We did enjoy lunch together, and we had a good time. Roger had a full month in June on fire patrol, so it was nice for everyone in our family to have the day off together. We had talked about inviting some families over to our house, but I wasn’t up for hosting, prepping, and cooking. It was a good day, but a very uneventful Fourth of July! But, oh how thankful I am for our country! I know that we are all concerned about the future of America, but I know I sometimes forget how much I have to be thankful for in this great land. However, that being said, please go vote in November! We are not professing our love for a candidate, but rather voting for the future of our children. Please vote wisely! 

Garett has been working hard at the gutter company, and his favorite part is lunchtime! He enjoys food greatly, and his boss pays for lunch everyday. Garett has also been trying to finish up a math course that he needs for this school year, so he’s had a busy summer. Chandler works five days a week out at a farm/produce stand near Roger’s work. On one of my days off, we took a field trip out to his place of work. It was fun to see where he worked, and he is well loved by his employers. Emma came to work with me one day, and she had a good day helping at the farmers market. Travis has come to the farmers market several times, and he typically keeps the produce bins full and helps wherever needed. He also helps sell stuff from time to time, and this past week a lady asked him about okra. Now why you would ask a teenage boy about how to cook okra is beyond me! But Travis said he had overheard one of the employees say that she had breaded the okra and then fried it. Now, she had breaded it in cornmeal and seasonings and then fried it. Travis couldn’t quite remember what the breading was so he told the lady that the breading was oatmeal!! Um- no! Haha! Then Wyatt was like, “Travis! It wasn’t oatmeal!” So a few weeks later when someone asked about cooking okra, Travis said his mom had a secret recipe and that he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone the recipe! However, he did sell okra! It’s been fun working with the boys this summer, and while the trip is a bit of a drive, we’ve had lots of time to talk and spend time together. I am thankful for these moments. 

 A famous preacher once said, “Preach the Gospel always, if necessary, use words.” I’ve told my kids this phrase often as I tell them that their actions and what they do matters. This summer at the farmer’s market, I’ve worked hard to always wear a t-shirt that has a verse, a worship song, or a phrase that will point someone to Jesus. I’m amazed at how many people will comment on what I’m wearing and either ask about what it means, or whole-heartedly agree with the statement. It’s a opportunity to point people to Jesus, and as believers we must be diligent to “redeem the time”, and point people to Jesus. On the other hand, I’m sure that I’ve offended some people with my t-shirts, but all the people that have spoken to me have been so pleasant and kind. One lady told me that she even choose to bring her business to our farm stand because she liked my t-shirt that said, “Waymaker, promise keeper, Light of the world, that’s my God”. I wish I could say that I take advantage of every opportunity to point people to Jesus, but the truth is that I often fail at it. But, God is merciful and kind and He provides more opportunities to talk to people about Him. 

In the month of July, we also coordinated a week of craziness with our friends, the Hardisons. Chandler and Eli had a few days of a Remote Control Robotic class at a local community college. Stephen was gone to a retreat for school, and Tamela and I switched around a bunch of kids that week as we navigated a crazy week of work as Wyatt and Kaeden came with me, and Chandler stayed a lot of the week with Eli. Surprisingly we did forget any of the kids anywhere, and we made it through the week! I am thankful for cell phones and the ability to coordinate schedules with friends. 

A friend of ours went up to Maine, and he brought us back some lobsters. Roger made some delicious lobsters rolls, and we met up with our friends, the Everett’s at a park halfway between both of our homes. It was a fun evening for their family to try something new, and having lobster rolls certainly brought back a lot of great memories from our time in Maine. 

This past weekend found much of our family in Lynchburg, Virginia. A while back Chandler was looking for soccer camps near us. He found a soccer clinic/camp happening at Liberty University, and he asked Roger and I if he could attend the camp. It’s basically a soccer camp for rising juniors and seniors that are interested in playing soccer in college. We got a phone call from a recruiting person on Sunday evening, and we had to listen to the whole jabber about how to best get Chandler into soccer in college. Well, let’s just say that we don’t have the kind of money that we would need to put Chandler in the “best spot” to play soccer in college. I’m thankful that God is not concerned about that, but that He already has a “best” plan for Chandler’s life! I found an airbnb for Friday and Saturday, and Jen and I headed to Lynchburg, Virginia on Friday afternoon. Wyatt, Travis and Emma came along with Chandler, and while we wish that Garett and Roger could be with us, we did enjoy our time there. I dropped off Chandler at the soccer camp, and he told me that he was nervous. He had paid for this camp out of his own work earnings, but he was worried that he would be the worst player at the clinic. We pulled into the college, and the intimidation factor was real! These kids had the backpacks, the shoes, the jerseys, and everything that screamed “I play soccer”! Meanwhile, Chandler had on shorts with paint on them and shoes that had a lot of wear and tear. But I reminded Chandler that clothes don’t set a person up for success, and that God already has a plan for Chandler. By the time I picked him up at 8:00pm, he was beaming. He told me that he had really enjoyed the first afternoon of soccer camp, and that he was glad that he had spent his money to come to the camp. I was thankful that the coaches and soccer players from Liberty University had taken the time to pray both before and after the session, as well as gave their personal testimonies of how they had come to play soccer and how God had brought them to where they are now. It was encouraging to Chandler to play with players on his own playing level as well as be challenged by many that were better than he was. I have no idea what God has for Chandler or his future of college or soccer, but I know that God already has a plan. I told Roger that Chandler wasn’t the only one that felt “out of their league”. I was speaking with a few parents and a mom mentioned that this is her sons’ 3rd ID soccer camp of the summer, and they had driven up from Georgia for this clinic. Another parent mentioned that they had come from Florida, and I was over here like “oh, um, this is our first soccer ID clinic, and we have no idea what we are doing, but whatever it is, we’re having fun while we’re doing it!” Haha! We’ve got five kids to try to help through college or further their education, and we are praying them through whatever God has for them, but we are not on the level of most of those parents. And know what? That’s totally okay for them and for us. It was a great experience for Chandler, and he said he would 100% spend his money again to come to the soccer camp. I’m thankful that God worked out the details for him to be able to go, and it was fun to get away for a few days from the normal routines of life. 

On the way back from Lynchburg, we stopped off at the Appomattox  Courthouse in Virginia. It was a free stop on the way back home, and it was educational to boot! It was interesting to read about the surrender of the Confederates that day on April 9th, 1865. We got to step into history as we walked through the area, went in the buildings, and toured the grounds. There were a lot of artifacts from the Civil War era, obviously, and Travis told Aunt Jen, “I think it’s really neat how they had a hot dog cooker back in those days.” Jen was obviously surprised and she asked Travis to show her the “hot dog cooker”…it was a curry comb!! Haha! That kid keeps us on our toes, and he’s very matter of fact about life! I’m glad we made the effort to stop, but we were all glad to get home that afternoon! 

“Hot dog Cooker” 

Garett successfully finished his math course while we were away, and Roger and Garett were able to spend some quality time together. We are thankful for these moments!  

It’s been a busy and full summer, but we’ve made some memories. The boys have played golf whenever they can squeeze it in around working, and Emma has spent many hours at the pool. We visited a few other churches this summer as well, but either we didn’t feel like the fit was great or we didn’t feel like the doctrine was sound. We’ve been in North Carolina for over two years, and I still feel like I’m struggling sometimes to find “our groove” in church and in friendships. The church we were a part of in Maine had a much higher median age, but there was also a connection that came through a small school and church. We’ve made a few friends here in NC, but I know that Roger and I often feel like we don’t know how to connect…and we wonder is it us? Our tribe of five kids? The fact that we didn’t grow up here and don’t have family around her?  Because we don’t live like the “Joneses”? What makes it harder for us to connect and feel included here? Truly, I don’t know. We’ve had many, many families over in our home in the years we’ve been here, and I do it because I really do enjoy opening our home, hosting and cooking as it’s a part of who God created me to be. (I also grew up watching my mom cook a big Sunday dinner every week, and we had someone over for dinner almost every Sunday.) We found deep connections with the Everett family, but God chose to move them to Virginia. We’ve been very thankful for the Hardison family and their boys, and I absolutely know that God had His hand in bringing along their family into our lives even though Emma wishes that they had a girl and not so many boys! So what do you do when you feel like everyone around you has enough friends already? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure, but I know that God still calls us to love those around us, worship Him completely and rejoice in Him. We will continue to have people in our home, prepare food for others, love our neighbors, and love Jesus. Maybe God is creating our sons to create really great and meaningful friendships with each other- provided that they can stop arguing with each other long enough to decide that they love each other! No, they don’t fight all the time, but there is a lot of testosterone in our house with four teenage boys! I thought that diapers were expensive, but I am not prepared for how much food these boys can eat or how expensive car insurance is for teenage drivers! Whew! Parenting is not for the faint- hearted! I am so thankful for God’s grace,  and that He calls us to rest in Him! (Parenting is also exhausting!) 

As we prepare to return to school, we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and direction. Garett will be a senior, and he’s unsure about what God would have him to do after he graduates from high school. We need a lot of wisdom and prayers as we help him prepare for the future. 

I have really been enjoying this song. I pray that you will be blessed tonight. 

 

Greenville, SC & A Trip to the Mountains & lots of Work!

 Summer break is flying by, and with the majority of our family working this summer, we are working hard to cling to the moments we have together! The early years of raising children is hard work, and it can be monotonous and overwhelming. Then they become teenagers! Life is no longer monotonous, but we need a family calendar to keep track of everyone!! 

Earlier this summer, we were praying that Chandler would find a job. He was able to work with me at the Farmers Market for a few days, but he was still looking for more of a full-time summer job. Well, he now has a job with more hours, and he still gets to be outside a lot. Thank you for praying that he would find a job!  Chandler is working for a farmer/produce stand near Roger’s work. Chandler has been working 7:30am- 6:00pm, and he is shucking a lot of corn, selling fruit, working in the fields, and getting an introduction to welding. He’s been busy, but God is so good. God provided this job for Chandler, and it’s about twelve minutes from Roger’s job. Roger has also been working long hours due to the lack of rain, so he drops Chandler off at work and then picks him up. 

Garett continues to work with the gutter company, and he likes it. I’m pretty sure that his favorite thing is going to lunch everyday, but he does like his job. He’s been getting up and going to work around 5:30am due to the heat this week. 

Wyatt and I are working at the farmer’s market. I try to work about three days a week, but it all depends on what’s happening with the other kids, Roger’s job, and other activities. Most of the time, Wyatt comes with me to work, so he’s been able to get some employment this summer also. 

Travis and Emma stay busy with helping take care of Aunt Jen’s chickens, cutting grass, and going swimming. We are thankful that Aunt Jen is willing to have two sidekicks this summer. Currently, Travis and Emma are in Wisconsin with Aunt Jen visiting with my parents. I’m thrilled that they have the opportunity to do that, and I know that my parents were excited to have them come visit. 

In the past two weeks, we’ve worked and played. Last week, Chandler and Wyatt attended basketball camp at Bob Jones University, while Jen and the two younger kids spent a few days in Greenville, SC. Roger and Garett stayed behind and worked, but then met up with us in the mountains for a few days of fun later in the week. 

Last Monday (6/17), we left for basketball camp with two of our boys that were attending as well as two of the Hardison boys. They were all excited about attending basketball camp, and I’m glad that they were able to work on some skills and drills that should help them in the future. While Bob Jones camp was okay, I think the boys will be returning to PCC next summer to try one of their sports camps. I know that I can be OCD about communication and spending time wisely, but to be honest, BJU should’ve done better. Camp should be looked at as a potential student visiting the college (in my opinion). These are 9th-12th grade boys coming to visit the college campus and a little bit more of a “best foot forward” approach would’ve been greatly appreciated by this mama. I also would’ve appreciated a more serious and dedicated approach to spiritual lessons and growth. I know that I’m in a minority and that’s okay, but I really want Jesus to be first and foremost in any activities. I personally feel that sometimes we get so worried about “kids having fun” that we fail to prepare them for eternity! (I did personally call the college to express some of my concerns as well.) So what did BJU do well? Like I said, I appreciated the emphasis on improving skills in basketball. Both of the boys said that they felt like they learned a lot, and they were thankful for that. I’m thankful that this opportunity was given to them, and now they’ve had an introduction to BJU. It’s really too bad that it wasn’t a better experience because I know that Bob Jones does present some top quality events for educators, and I’ve been a recipient at those events.  

While the two boys were at basketball camp, Travis, Emma, Jen and I spent a few days in Greenville. Greenville has a beautiful downtown area, and we walked down there several times. The hotel we stayed at offered breakfast, snacks and drinks and supper- all included in the price of the hotel! That was an amazing blessing as we were able to spend time just watching the kids swim in the pool, eat, read, and soak up some sunshine and relaxation. It was good to get away for a few days, and if I ever go to Greenville again, I’m going to be looking for the Drury Inn and Suites hotel again! A highlight of the trip for Emma and Travis would be going to Smoothie King and trying the Dude Perfect smoothie! 

Basketball camp ended on Thursday at noon, so I picked up our two boys and headed for the mountains. Jen headed back to her home to check on the chickens, and get ready for her trip to Wisconsin. 

We met up with the Everett’s in the mountains on Thursday afternoon. Roger and Garett met us there and everyone went golfing in the afternoon except Emma, Laura and I. Thursday was Laura’s birthday, so we were happy to celebrate her birthday. I had purchased discounted tickets for Anakeesta and the Titantic museum for the few days that we were in the mountains. We went to Anakeesta on Friday, and it was a hot day! The chair lift up to the top of the mountain was a lot of fun, and Anakeesta offers some nice views of the mountains, beautiful gardens, tree walk ropes course, and lot of playground space. We did enjoy it, and I’m glad that we did it. However, I felt like it was more suited towards kids Emma’s age as there was a lot of playground space, slides, and ropes courses. For teenagers, Anakeesta offers two mountain coasters and zip lining (all of which cost extra $$), so for that reason, I don’t think we’d do it again. The boys didn’t complain about not doing the coaster or zip lining, but the playgrounds and slides were a little below their level of interest. However, it was a fun day spent with family and friends, so it was a day well spent. 

Saturday morning was set aside to visit the Titanic museum, and everyone really seemed to enjoy that. There was lot of information to take in, but they did offer headphones that would read the highlights to you as well as a kids version of the highlights. I think I can say that everyone did learn something, and that was a good experience. It was money well spent in my opinion, and I’m glad we took the opportunity to do that museum. 

We also played some game that Justin came up with. It was the adults versus the kids, and the adults did win. We didn’t win by a lot, but we did win! It was a lot of laughter and fun, and then we decided to take a trip to the Smokey Mountains park and get in the creek. We ended up finding a spot with a waterfall, and while we only planned to go wading, everyone was pretty wet by the time we were done! 

A few other notes to remember from our trip: we really enjoyed “Steak n Shake”. It was a restaurant that reminded me of Culver’s hamburgers, and it was fairly cheap. We tried to go to Cades Cove to see some wildlife, but we didn’t realize quite how low we were on gas, so that ended up being a bit of a flop. I guess we will save that for another trip! We had coffee at the Black Rifle Coffee Company, and that was a fun time. We enjoyed s’mores around the fire pit, and the mosquitos weren’t too bad! The cabin was practically straight up a mountain, but it was a memory for sure! We treasured our time with our friends, the Everett’s, and it was a fun few days in the mountains!

We left the mountains on Sunday morning, and I met up with Jen in Newport, Tennessee. She was headed to Wisconsin and rather than come all the way back to Eastern North Carolina, we met up with her in Tennessee. Emma and Travis hopped out of our van, and into Jen’s vehicle. Emma was a little sad about going on Saturday night, but by Sunday morning, she was happy to be going to visit Nana and Papa. Travis kept asking if Wyatt could come with him to Wisconsin, and originally we had planned on that. But when Chandler got his job, then Wyatt could work with me, so Wyatt decided to stay back and work. I think Wyatt would’ve liked to have gone along also, but he was also happy to be going home. Our friends, the Harrison’s, kept Sam from Thursday thru Sunday, so we picked him up on Sunday night. I think Sam was happy to see us, but he really doesn’t seem to mind hanging out with the Hardisons’ dog Marley. We were all happy to be home on Sunday night, and when we sat down for family prayer on Sunday evening, I was like “okay, who’s going where this week and working where?!” I’m thankful that the sun sets later these days, as we are frequently gathering around the table around 7:30/8:00pm for supper! (Everyone still likes to eat!) I’m thankful for employment, memories, family, God’s grace, sleep and clean clothes! (I’m thankful for a lot more, but those are the ones that are on my mind!) 

Travis and Emma will be coming home with Jen tomorrow, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them! Roger has been crazy busy with work also. Typically the standard fire season is over by early June as the humidity rises and we get more rain showers. However, this summer has been very hot and very dry, so Roger has been working quite a bit. The district that he flies for has only received about .5 inch of rain in the past 31 days. Most of the crops are gone, and only the farmers that have some type of irrigation will get anything off their fields. The cucumber harvest is about 90% dried up, and peas will be in short supply as we just haven’t gotten enough rain. Please pray that God will provide some rain for much of the eastern side of North Carolina. We are thankful that Roger is able to gain some extra hours as this will help him be able to take off in the fall when he is coaching the soccer season, but we also really, really need a nice soaking shower of rain. 

Amidst the business of all the working schedules and summer activities, I’m also constantly reminded that Garett will be a senior this fall. I’m not ready! We’re trying to soak up the memories, moments, and pour into each of our children their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Garett has talked with us a little about his plans for after high school, but he needs a lot of direction and prayers at this point in time. We are capable of hard things, and God provides what we need every step of the way. I know that this also holds true for our children. I’m thankful that while the world erupts in chaos and disorder, we serve a God who has never relinquished His control. He holds us in His hands- and I’m thankful for His presence. 

Summer Break!!

 It’s been a busy two weeks, as we’ve jumped full swing into summer break! We are enjoying a bit of a more relaxed schedule, but we find it’s still really full with kids working, balancing screen time and work, projects that we’d like to finish, and planning a few activities over summer break. 

I’ve still been working at the school some as it’s near impossible to get everything cleaned and packed up before school ends much less when I’m working in both art and library. I enlisted the help of my kids to help take down bulletin boards, move books, haul stuff to the dumpsters, and other cleaning jobs. Working for mom would not fall on their list of favorite things, but welcome to life! I’ve been doing some research regarding an art curriculum for elementary students, and there is so much out there! It’s so easy to be overwhelmed with it all. We’ve also looked for a library curriculum, but that’s a really hard one to come by because I’m picky about what we read and generally we don’t have the books on the list in our small library anyways. I’ve written our own lessons plans for the past two years, but it would be nice to be able to have the book, a game, and an activity all ready to go without searching all over creation for what I want…maybe I’m just too picky or my expectations are too high!? 

On Memorial Day, we went to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ryan’s house out towards the western side of the state. It makes for a long day, but it was a fun day. All the kids got in the pool (multiple times) and Emma and Travis ended up with a sunburn! We took Sam (the dog) with us, and he did very well on the car ride so that was a blessing. The boys walked down to the pond to go fishing, and they caught a few fish. We enjoyed lots of delicious food, good fellowship and time outside. It was a good way to start summer break. 

Chandler had the opportunity to spend a few days at a lake with one of his friends from school and a few other boys as well. He left on Wednesday to go to the lake, and we came down on Saturday to pick him up. He had a great time fishing, kayaking, playing with air soft guns, and doing all kinds of activities. We came to pick him up on Saturday, and we enjoyed time at the lake as well. It was good to get to know Nicholas’s parents a little better, and we surely did appreciate the laughter and fellowship. It was a beautiful day to spend at the lake, and we were thankful for the invite. 

Garett is working full time with the gutter company this summer, and last week he got his drivers license! Yes, he is almost 18 (in August), but we were not in an anxious place for him to get his license and insurance is expensive! However, the timing was right and God arranged for all the details to fall into place. Roger took him to Jacksonville last Thursday for a 8:00 am appointment. They arrived in time, but there was an accident on the route that they normally take the drivers road test on. The DMV told Roger and Garett that they weren’t sure how long it would be before the route opened, but they would be given a “floating” appointment meaning that once the route opened back up, Garett could take his test as soon as they could squeeze him in. Well that was a bit of a bummer as Roger was missing work to take Garett to do his drivers test, and we weren’t sure if we should wait it out, reschedule or if I should come and wait with Garett. Roger and Garett went back into the DMV to talk to someone, and they said that they would allow Garett to take his road test on an old route that they didn’t use anymore. Praise the Lord! Within ten minutes, Garett was walking back into the DMV to get his drivers license permit! We are thankful that one of the boys now has his drivers license as this means that Garett can now help with getting other kids where they need to be! I didn’t think I’d be this excited about one of our kids having their drivers license, but it’s been so nice! 

I started working at a farmer’s market a few days a week, and it looks like Chandler will be able to earn a little money on the days that I work as he can come with me. The days are long at the farmer’s market, but it’s not hard work as it’s just being friendly and selling people produce. I think it’ll work out nicely for a few days a week and help provide a little extra money for a summer trip or the school bill. Chandler would still like to find a bit more work as he’d like to work closer to four or five days a week, but we are thankful for something! 

Travis finished up the soccer season with the rec team this past week. It’s been fun to watch him play, and he’s enjoyed it-mostly. I thought that Travis would be excited about being on a team without his brothers and getting a lot of playing time. He told my sister, Jen, that he enjoyed playing soccer but it would’ve been better if Wyatt could’ve been on his team. The Lord was good to Travis as Travis was placed on a team with Christian coaches, and it was a good experience. One of the coaches is also a coach for a soccer league team in the area. The coach sent us an email about Travis playing on a travel ball team, and then he came and talked to us. While the experience would be good, the cost is way too high, and we are already busy as a family. We don’t need one more event to haul kids to or cause us to split up our very valuable family time. We asked Travis what his opinion was about the travel ball team, and told him that it was nice of his coach to notice Travis’s skill level and offer him a position on the travel soccer team without Travis even going to tryouts. And all of that was and is true! It’s nice to be recognized for hard work and effort, but thankfully this was an easy decision to make. Travis was non-committal about it (he’s not one to talk a lot), but he said, “yeah, it’s nice to be asked to join the team. But I don’t want to. I wouldn’t really want to do it without one of my brothers, and I’ll get to play on the school team in the fall.” So that was that, and it was a good decision. The coaches held a little awards ceremony after the last game last week, and it was so refreshing and encouraging to hear these coaches talk about the “Christian character” award, and how that was being like Jesus. This is a non-Christian school team, and these kids are from all walks of life, but these coaches made a point to bring Jesus into the conversation and to pray over the players after the last game of the season. I doubt Travis thought much about it, but as his mama, I sure did appreciate the prayer and reference to Jesus Christ! 

This past week we’ve been dog siting for some friends of ours. I’ve decided that we are definitely a one dog family, and while we’ve not minded Marley being here, we are thankful for just one dog! We also have the three Hardison boys here, so that’s eight boys and Emma! It’s not been very quiet here, but it’s been fun. They eat a lot, but they also have played hours of basketball and golf. We are thankful for these moments and days. Life truly is a vapor, and if I accomplish nothing else with my life, I want my kids to know and serve Jesus. 

We’ve also had VBS (Vacation Bible School) this past week, so I took Jace and Emma in to VBS with me, while the boys spent time with Roger. They even got to go golfing a few times with the Hardison boys, so that was fun for all. 

Chandler has already gotten a pay raise at the farmer’s market, so that was exciting for him. He worked two days and got a pay raise on the third day. The disadvantage to the farmer’s market job is that it is a bit of a hike to the job, so he really can only work on days that I work, and I don’t want to work every day! This past week, Wyatt also worked at the farmers market for a day. Chandler, Wyatt and I all worked on Saturday, and it was a busy day. I prefer the busier days, as I’m not one for sitting around! The boys worked hard at keeping everything stocked and shucking corn. We always come home tired, but it’s been good to have a little employment this summer. 

This week is basketball camp for Chandler and Wyatt, and they’re looking forward to going to Bob Jones University with two of the Hardison boys for basketball camp. I’m excited that they have this opportunity, and Travis and Emma are looking forward to it as well. I’m going to take the two youngest, along with my sister, and we’re going to spend a few days in the Greenville area while the other two boys are at camp. It should be a good week, and I’m looking forward to spending some time with the youngest two kids. 

Today was Father’s Day, and we barely saw Roger! He spent the day at work flying patrol for the fires. We really, really need rain. The forecast for the next ten days is hot and without rain. Please pray that God will provide some rain. Many farmers are on the verge of losing their crops as the soil is so dry. We really need several days of a nice soaking rain. We missed having Roger around, but we are so thankful for him. He’s not the life of the party, and he doesn’t like to be the center of attention, but Roger is faithful, loyal, kind and a good friend. He loves his family, and he works hard to be present in our lives. I’m thankful for him, and I love him so very much. 

Life can also be heavy and hard, and sometimes it’s hard to know what God is doing. The pastor said something this morning that really resonated with me after this past week. He said, “What you believe in not only matters for eternity, but it also shapes your perspective on life.” And sometimes we just have to walk by faith. This past Tuesday, my friend, Beka, from Wisconsin called me. She told me that there had been an accident and the daughter of someone I knew had been killed in a tragic ATV accident. I was completely taken off guard. Emma is almost the same age as this little girl that passed away, and I was pregnant with Emma the same summer that my friend was pregnant with her daughter. I don’t know what God’s plan was in allowing this tragedy to happen, but I do know that God is in control. He is the God of all comfort, and His mercy never fails. I’ve cried several times this past week as we grieve the loss of life, and for the family left behind. Please do pray for my friend, Jen, and her family, as they grieve the loss of their daughter. 

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As parents, we naturally expect our children to outlive us, and sometimes we are caught off guard by what happens in our lives. I look forward to the day when “He will wipe away all tears from our eyes.” Heaven is going to be an amazing place, and if you’re not sure about where you will spend eternity, please reach out to me. I’d love to show you how you can know for sure that you are on your way to Heaven. Jesus died for you, so that you can have eternal life in Heaven. We need to recognize that we cannot get to Heaven on our own, and we are all sinners. We have no hope of Heaven without Jesus. But..Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Believe that Jesus died for you. Recognize that you are a sinner. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your life. Ephesians 2:8-9 states that “for by grace are ye saved, through faith, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” Salvation- that’s the best gift ever! 

  

Last week of school & “Missing Person?!”

 And that’s a wrap on the 2023-2024 school year!! It’s hard to believe, but now we have a senior, a junior, a freshman, an 8th grader, and a fourth grader! (And I think I’m getting old!) We are excited for summer break to begin, and we need to think about some summer plans before the summer flies by! Garett will start his job with the gutter company on Tuesday. Chandler is still looking for a job, so please pray that he will be able to find one. Chandler went to talk to the neighbor, whom they’ve worked for before, but our neighbor didn’t have work as he didn’t plant vegetables to sell at the roadside stand this year. Chandler and Wyatt are both planning on attending basketball camp at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC in the middle of June. Wyatt would also like to find a little work this summer, so that’s also a matter of prayer. I am also trying to find some work this summer, but it’s hard when you need the work to be flexible so that everyone can get where they need to go, grocery shopping still gets done, Travis and Emma are supervised, and the other little details that need attention. But, ya know, God knows what we need, so just pray that all our needs will be meet, and we will continue to pray and work hard at the next right thing. 

We had the sports banquet last week, and I forgot to take any pictures! However, the boys did come away with some plaques and certificates for their endeavors in sports this year. Travis won the award for “most-improved” in middle school basketball. Wyatt was awarded the “Christian Character” award for the golf team. Chandler won “Most Valuable” player for the golf team, and Garett received “Christian Character” for the baseball team. It was a bit of a long day as Roger and I had a meeting after school, then the coaches meal (which was delicious) and then the awards. Thankfully, Jen had taken Emma home so that Emma didn’t have to spend a long evening at the school. 

Last Friday was my birthday (each birthday grows more exciting! JK!). I was thankful for all the birthday wishes, and for the gift of coffee from my friends, Tamela and Laura. (Apparently they know that I like coffee!) Travis had a soccer game in the evening, so the day was a full day, but I’m thankful for another year to serve Jesus. 

This past weekend we went to Virginia to visit our friends. The boys and Roger played golf, so that was fun for them. Laura and I spent time just visiting together, and catching up on conversations that we’ve started over the past several weeks. Laura had a special cake for my birthday, and everyone sang the worst rendition of “happy birthday” that you can imagine! Travis enjoys singing loudly off-key, and it was definitely funny to hear 10 people sing at their worst- pretty bad! 

On the way home from Virginia, my Aunt Lisa called to say that my Aunt Janice had passed away. Aunt Lisa asked if we would be able to come for the funeral, but I wasn’t sure if we would be able to with all the school events of this week. Originally the funeral was to be on Thursday, but Garett and Chandler were singing in the choir for graduation. Then the funeral was moved to Wednesday, and since the kids had a half day (except Emma), we were able to go to the funeral. I spoke with the boys teachers and they were all happy to accommodate the kids exams. We left school around 10:00 am on Wednesday morning, but we had decided that not all of us would go to the funeral as it was four hours there and then back in the same day. Garett and Roger were asked to be pall bearers, and Emma was singing with us, so we decided to take the oldest and the youngest and leave the middle three at home to watch Sam. We made good time out towards Hickory, and arrived in time to even practice our song for a minute. Garett, Emma, Jen and I sang “Jesus, strong and kind” for the service. This was the same funeral home where Papaw’s visitation had been held almost eleven years ago. That funeral place is like stepping in a time capsule as everything is exactly as it was 11 years ago! The carpet is still the same, the decorations are the same, it still smells a little funny, it all looked exactly the same (and I’m pretty sure that they didn’t tune the piano in the last eleven years either!) Garett was a little nervous about singing, but he and Emma did great. I played the piano and along with Jen, Garett and Emma. Jen and I haven’t probably sung together in over 10 years, but I don’t remember how young we were when we sang at our first funeral…pretty young. Emma had lots of questions about the funeral, as this is one of the first ones that she’s attended and remembered. She asked about the makeup on the body, if people in caskets have on underwear, what happens to the blood in people’s bodies and a whole slew of other questions! After the funeral, we all traveled to the cemetery for the burial. I suggested to Jen that she might want to park in front of the church in case we needed to leave earlier, but Emma shrieked out, “I really want to go through the drive-thru”. Jen and I were both momentarily confused, but then realized that she meant that she wanted to follow the funeral procession into the cemetery! It was a funny moment!

After the burial service, the church had some sandwiches and light snacks for us. We ate a quick bite before getting back on the road to drive back across the state the other way! We left about 6:30pm, and the gps was showing that we would probably be home around 10:30pm, so not too bad for a long day. However, God had other plans, and He puts us exactly where He wants us to be. 

MISSING PERSON?! God wrote a page in the story of our lives on Wednesday night, and I’m sure that none of us will ever forget it. On our way home from the funeral, we stopped in Greensboro (about two hours from home). We stopped at Sheetz (one of our favorite gas stations) for a snack and to put gas in the car. As we were checking out, I overheard the cashiers talking to an older gentleman. The gentleman was adamant that he needed to get back to Goldsboro, and the cashiers couldn’t understand why he didn’t have a phone with a GPS (the cashiers were in the generation that wouldn’t remember that we used to drive everywhere without using our phones for location services). Roger went over to see if he could help the gentleman with directions, as there seemed to be a little confusion. Roger offered to let “Grandpa” (as we affectionately named him) follow us back towards Goldsboro as we were headed in that direction. Grandpa was very appreciative, and then promptly walked off and left his drivers license on the cashiers counter. Roger reminded him to pick it up, and then we walked out to the parking lot. Grandpa poked his head in a vehicle and muttered, “oh yes, this is mine.” And we were off on our way back to Goldsboro. Roger and Garett were first in line with the little four door honda car, then Grandpa in his Kia, and then Jen, Emma and I. As we waited for the light to turn green to merge onto the interstate, Grandpa nearly rear ended Garett and Roger! Once on the interstate, I called Roger to ask if his life insurance policy was up to date! Grandpa was tail-gating Roger so closely that Garett said that he couldn’t even see the headlights of Grandpas car! Jen and I eventually passed Roger and Garett and Grandpa as we could see it was going to be a long ride back to Goldsboro at fifty miles per hour! As Jen and I were driving down interstate 40, we passed under one of those highway banners that was flashing something about a “Silver alert”. Jen looked over at me and said, “Do you think that might be Grandpa?” I was like, “Um, I don’t think so. Grandpa said that he was driving back from Delaware,” However, I tried to look it up online without any success. And then Roger called me and asked, “Do you think Grandpa is the silver alert?” Originally, Roger had planned to get Grandpa to the right exit for Goldsboro, and then leave him on his own. Roger said that Jen and I should head home, and he and Garett would figure out how to help Grandpa. None of us caught the full license plate number on the silver alert, and I wasn’t able to pull anything up online. Roger pulled off at the exit for Goldsboro, and he instructed Garett to take a picture of Grandpa’s license plate while Roger talked to Grandpa. Grandpa was so thankful for Roger’s help, but still seemed to be confused about how to get back to Goldsboro. Roger said that he was pretty sure that Grandpa was going to follow him home if he left him on his own, and Roger planned to call 911 to see about the silver alert after he talked with Grandpa. Once Roger and Garett were back in the car and headed towards Goldsboro with Grandpa still behind him, Roger called 911. When he spoke to the operator, he was patched through to the sheriffs department. The Sheriff’s department asked a bunch a questions and asked for the license plate number. Sure enough- Grandpa was the missing Silver alert!!!  Roger told the sheriff’s department that he was headed towards Goldsboro, and because he was going through several counties at one point in time Roger was on the phone with three different sheriff’s departments. The police department pulled Grandpas car over inside the city limits of Goldsboro. We had no idea that God would use Roger and Garett in a special way that night, but God had a plan! We didn’t know who the man was, but we hoped that his family was relieved and happy that he was back. I figured that was the end of the story, but it’s not. While at the graduation last night, I was talking to my friend, and she said, “I think that’s the man whose family posted on Facebook that he was missing and asking for help.”  Laura said that the family had posted late on Wednesday night that Grandpa was home again. I was happy to hear that Grandpa’s family was happy that he was home again. God is good. 

Today was awards day! Chandler, Wyatt and Travis decided to stay home, and we decided to let them. Typically the awards ceremony can be a bit long, but today it moved along. Emma got a reading trophy award, and she was excited about that. Garett got “most -improved” in his class, and the program was wrapped up by ten o’clock. I helped with some preparations  for summer camp, but we were all home by 1:30pm. It’s hard to believe that the year is wrapped up, but welcome to summer!!!! 

Mountains and Valleys (Highlights and Lowlights)

Where to even begin?! We are quickly wrapping up the school year, and it’s been a year to remember. I still can’t wrap my around the fact that Garett will be a senior in the fall! Where has time gone? I want to soak up the moments and the memories, but sometimes I feel like I’d just like a moment to breathe! 

So much has happened in the month of May, and we are just a few days into the month. First, I want to capitalize on the highlights, cause ya’ll might run off if I start with the overwhelming stuff! So blessings and highlights are at the top of my list.

 Two of our boys, Chandler and Wyatt, competed in a golf tournament on April 29th. This was the final competition for the golf season, and the meet was held in Virginia. Travis and I were able to go to the tournament as we stayed overnight at the Everett’s house in Virginia. The meet started at noon, with it being a nine-hole round of golf. The golf team had come down on Sunday night as originally the meet was scheduled to start at 10:00am. This was the first meet that I had been able to attend as the golf meets are on Mondays, and I’m always busy teaching art classes on Mondays. I watched Wyatt hit his first golf ball, and I was like “oh dear!”. He was off to a really, really rough start, but he managed to overcome and he was the second place golfer for his team. I was thankful that both Justin Everett and his coach, Chance, were willing to talk to him during the meet to encourage him to “keep at it”.  I was proud of him because Wyatt struggles with defeat. Once he messes up or has a bad play, he often can’t overcome to make a comeback, but he did at this meet. The golf team placed third in the meet, so that was exciting for the golf team as this is the first time in a while that the school has had a team. I’m thankful that Chandler and Wyatt had the opportunity to play on the golf team, and they both said that it was kinda nice to be a part of a smaller team for a change. I’m thankful for their coaches that invest in them, help them enjoy the game, and are willing in to give of their time and energy to the golf team. Travis and I left a little early from the golf tournament, so that we could make it back to school for Emma’s piano recital. Wyatt was also supposed to be in the piano recital, but the golf team barely made it back in time. Since Wyatt was dressed in sweat pants and a stinky polo shirt, he escaped having to perform- and he wasn’t crying about it! I’m thankful that Jen was willing to pick up Emma from school to help her pick out a nice dress for the recital, get flowers for her piano teacher, and get Emma back to school for the recital. It was a long and tiring day, but we made it!  

Another highlight would be that the Elementary Fine Arts Competition is behind us! Whew! We entered 29 projects into the competition, and four received ribbons. This was my first year teaching art, and we learned a lot at the competition. Personally, I think the categories are way too broad for elementary students. All the painting is lumped together, but if you’ve ever painted, you know that acrylic paint and watercolor paint are not even close to the same! I was a bit disappointed in some of the placings (or lack thereof), but hopefully we will be a little better prepared in the future. Some of our students art underwent quite the transformation before the event. While their art still may not have placed, I know how hard they worked and how much they’ve improved. I also help with the Bible Sword Drill teams for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. We made it into the second round of playoffs with all the teams except third grade. Our fourth grade team placed third in the competition, so that was exciting for them. And while third grade didn’t place, they’ve come a long ways in a short amount of time! When we first started practicing with them, they were using the table of contents to find the books of the Bible. They improved so much over the past few months! It was an exhausting few days, but I did learn a lot. Hopefully, we will be better prepared for future events. 

Last weekend was the baseball team’s tournament hosted by our school. It was a bit of a crazy weekend with the tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Everett’s came down for the tournament, and we all pitched in to help with concessions, taking admission, and helping pick up trash. Many hands make light work, and thankfully we had seven kids between us to help the Hardisons. The weather was beautiful for the tournament, and the baseball team made it to the championship game! It was a good game, probably my favorite one to watch all season. The team that they played had beaten our team earlier in the season. It was back and forth throughout the seven innings, but at the end of the game, our team won! The score was 8-7! It was fun to watch the team play in the game as they really did work hard and together to win the game. It was a bit of a long and tiring day, but it was a good day. 

Also last week (first week in May), Garett ran for student body president! He worked hard at helping create posters, coming up with ideas, and his brothers helped him come up with slogans for his campaign. Garett was up against some tough competition from two other girls also running for student body president, so he had his work cut out for him. He wrote a speech for his campaign, and I listened to him present it to the student body on Thursday afternoon. He did a good job, and while he didn’t win student body president, he did win Vice President. I asked him if he was disappointed, and he replied that he was a little disappointed, but “Kate is better at speaking to a bunch of people than I am. This way I can just back her up and still be involved. I’m really glad that I got picked for something.” Me too. I am proud of the man he is becoming, and while I often wish he was still a little boy, it’s exciting to see God at work in his life. 

An additional highlight in the past two weeks would be God’s protection over Emma as she ran into a tree with her bike. Her face was pretty scraped up on Saturday evening, and she stayed home from church on Sunday morning with a black eye, but God protected her as it could’ve been much worse! Boys get all excited about battle scars liked a scraped up face, but Emma was so nervous about school on Monday as she didn’t want to be the center of attention. Her face is almost completely healed up now, so we are thankful for that. God is good. 

Mother’s Day this year was also a highlight for me. We decided to take the day as a family, and do something a bit different as in visiting a different church, and going out to lunch on Mother’s Day. We went to a church in Wilmington, and then ate a nice lunch at a casual place, walked around on the riverwalk in Wilmington, and visited a few thrift stores. It was a very enjoyable day for all of us. The church service was a blessing to me as the pastor talked about moms (pretty typical for Mother’s Day), but he also had all the moms stand while he prayed over the moms. It was a special way to honor the moms, and I appreciated the intentionality of his prayer for moms. The message spoke to me too as the pastor spoke about not letting “your barrenness turn to bitterness”. He was referring to Hannah in First Samuel, and how she held her tongue when Peninnah was provoking her; Hannah waited; Hannah prayed; Hannah worshipped. To be completely honest, I have felt like I’m in a season of “barrenness”- waiting for God to move in a big way. I’m going to move on to touching on a few deep disappointments, so if you only want positive news, just stop reading here. 

Waiting on God and waiting for God to work in and through us to orchestrate His perfect plan is a challenge. As many of you know, we applied for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship. Due to the number of hours I’ve worked in the past year, we were over the limit for Tier one families by a mere 4K. Early in April, we had been informed via email that there would not be enough funds for all the families in Award Tier Two, and that the families would be selected by a random drawing and notified via email. We prayed through much of April asking God to provide the scholarship funds for our family, and I really felt like that’s what God was going to do. I mean, why wouldn’t He want to help us continue to give our children Christian education, save for college and retirement, pay off bills, etc.? Surely, this is what God would do…but…it was not God’s perfect plan. Two Fridays ago, on April 26th, we received the email from the state notifying us that the scholarship funds had been depleted, and we had not been selected. I was stunned. But why? Roger and I have sacrificed much over the years (and many have helped along the way!) to keep our children in Christian education, and why wouldn’t God make this easier on us?! I cried - a lot. I’m tired and weary, and I just couldn’t understand God’s plan. I’m not saying that I understand it now, but I’m determined to continually give it over to God. Every.single.day. His plan is still perfect, and He didn’t forget where we are or what we need. I talked with my mom last Sunday morning and poured out my woes to her. She reminded me that we aren’t the only ones praying for God to work, and that they were praying too. And I know that many of you are as well. I guess my prayer in all of this would be that I would remain faithful to do whatever it is that God has for our family. If that means homeschooling, online learning or continuing on, then we will be faithful to do what God directs. Roger reminded me that we’ve wondered what God was doing before and God has always shown up right on time. (It’s also a reminder that I shouldn’t gamble. The opportunity scholarship families were selected through a random drawing, and since we weren’t selected, I clearly shouldn’t gamble- I’m not a lucky person! JK!) 

A lowlight for Travis would be that two of the chickens have disappeared! Somehow the chicken coop wasn’t quite latched, and two chickens escaped during the night. Travis was pretty upset that two chickens are now missing as he’s been so faithful to feed, water, and clean the coop. It may seem trivial to some, but it wasn’t to Travis. The chickens have given Travis something to pour some energy and attention into, and that has helped some with his school anxiety. He still asks me every single day if I will sign him out of school, but having the chickens has helped him press on to finish out the school year. 

There’s been a few other lowlights in the past few weeks, but none of which I’m going to mention currently. We are working to finish well. We are praying diligently for jobs for our children for the summer. Chandler was supposed to be notified on Friday about his job application, but we did not receive any news. So please pray that he will be able to figure out a job. 

Last week was teacher appreciation week, and we worked on teacher appreciation gifts. Emma’s love language is giving gifts, and thankfully her teacher never bats an eye at what Emma might bring for a gift! I had my art students work on teacher appreciation letters, and it was fun to read their responses! (We didn’t finish the letters as we had to get our Mother’s Day projects done, but I’m hoping it’ll provide some laughter and love for the teachers). It was nice to have lunch provided twice this past week and three students surprised me with a small gift- it’s always nice to be remembered. We are quickly approaching the end of the school year, and it’s hard to believe that we only have ten school days left. 

I received a sweet note in my mailbox from my other friend named  Laura this week. It was a good reminder that others are lifting my name before the Lord in prayer. Prayer truly is our greatest resource, and the older I get the more I realize what a special privilege it is to bring all our concerns and praises before our great God. “Heavenly Father help me to lean on you more. Thank you for the blessing of being able to boldly approach your throne.” This song has especially encouraged Roger and I over the past couple of weeks. 

Competitions, Birthdays, Memories, and More!

 

We have five weeks left in the school year, and the days are flying by! Every year after spring break time seems to pick up speed as we wrap up the school year. Spring sports, awards banquet, spring music recitals, competitions, and warmer weather are all indicators that the end of the school year is right around the corner. 

We enjoyed a few days of warmer weather on spring break, but then the weather turned quite cool. However, we did get down to the beach one of the days on spring break to catch a few rays of sunshine. The boys enjoyed several rounds of golf during spring break, and golfing has become one of their favorite activities (it’s also fairly cheap if you’re a minor, so they need to golf while they’re young!). I didn’t get a whole lot done on my to-do list, but we did enjoy time together as a family and that’s important. 

Last weekend, (4/12) we had our friends the Everett’s down for a few days. Garett and Savannah attended the Junior/Senior banquet. I think they had a good time, but it was a lot of work, money and effort for an event that lasted less than two hours! That was also a crazy Friday as Garett was dismissed from school early due to the banquet, Travis had soccer practice for his rec team, and trying to get everyone where they needed to be on time- but it all came together. We also enjoyed strawberry picking while the Everett’s were here, and a round of golf, and lots of food! 

Last week (April 15-19) was a bit crazy. We had art classes as normal on Monday, but then found out that the art room would be used for the high school competition later in the week. I do not mind sharing the space at all, but we had 29 art projects in the room that were in the final stages of preparing to enter for the elementary students next week (April 22)! My art assistant, Kaycee, has been great this year, and she helps with whatever wild schemes I dream up. We arranged to move all the elementary art over to the science lab to set it up there for the next few days while we finished up the paperwork and helped a few students with their final details. We did art as normal last Tuesday, and then spent the afternoon cleaning, re-arranging, and moving things over to the other building. I spent a lot of time on Wednesday and Friday helping students complete their projects for the art competition. I had asked for the art projects to be brought back right after spring break, and while I got a lot of them back, some of them needed some “fine tuning”. I am amazed a how little parental support some of my students received, and it makes me a little sad. But I’m thankful for teachers who are willing to let me take their students to receive some direction  to help their art projects. All in all, the elementary art did come together, and it was all dropped off for competition on Monday morning! Praise the Lord! Now, we are just waiting to see how the students placed!

Our school hosted a high school competition last week (Wednesday-Friday), and Garett and Chandler were in a couple of events. The choir sang on Wednesday, but Chandler spent all of Tuesday night throwing up as in practically every couple of hours. On Wednesday morning, he had a low grade fever and was still throwing up. I texted his choir teacher and said that unless Chandler was desperately needed, he would be staying home! So Chandler stayed at home while the rest of us went to school. I’m not a huge fan of this competition because I feel like a lot of kids spend their time sitting around and not cheering on their classmates, but rather just wasting time (I hate wasting time!). Garett was in choir on Wednesday and the Ensemble. He didn’t need to be at school until around noon, but since I go into school at 7:30am, he had to come too. But Garett is a pretty good sport most of the time, so he helped with a few odd things here and there, and worked on some school work. The choir sang in the afternoon on Wednesday and the ensemble shortly afterwards. We actually got to come home a little earlier than normal so that was a pleasant treat! Chandler wasn’t feeling 100% on Thursday, but he was healthy enough to go. Wyatt had a migraine though so he stayed at home! Thankfully, Wyatt is too young to be in the competition, so he didn’t miss much! Garett sang in a mixed quartet on Thursday, and while he struggles to hold his part, I’m thankful that he is always willing to try. He will smile and give it his very best. After the quartet, Garett had to hustle out to the soccer field for the soccer kick shoot out. We did terrible in that event (usually how it goes when no practice is involved!). It was a warm afternoon, so we were all happy to go home with that event was over. 

Friday brought about the final day of competition for the high school events, and Wyatt still wasn’t feeling great. Travis offered to stay home to take care of Wyatt and the dog. Wyatt and Sam had been just fine the day before, but Travis was an eager beaver to volunteer to stay home. Roger and I think highly of education, but with the competition going on, the junior high classes had been having a lot of substitute teachers and irregular schedules, which Travis does not handle well. We decided to let him stay home and you’d have thought we had given him the moon! It’s hard on me to have him ask me every single day if I will sign him out of school, does he have to go, or will I pick him up early. For whatever reason, God has allowed Travis to have another challenging school year. I surely don’t know the reasons, and I tell Travis often that I don’t know what God is doing, but I know that He does care about each one of us. We pray hard and we pray often that God will provide Travis with one special friend. Having the chickens to take care of and Sam has helped some, but Travis still could use a friend at school. 

Anyways, back to the competition at school. On Thursday night, Chandler asked me if Eli could stay overnight at our house. Normally, we don’t have people over during the school week, but since this week has been a little different, I agreed.  I can’t remember the last time Chandler asked if someone could sleep over, but it was a fun afternoon.   The boys tromped around in the woods, went fishing, played basketball, watched a movie and ate a lot of supper! Roger didn’t get home from work til after 9:00pm due to a fire, and he didn’t even notice that we had an extra boy in the living room! I think the boys had a good time, and I was thankful that it worked out on the spur of the moment idea. 

Chandler competed in the mile run on Friday morning. I was able to watch him compete, so I was thankful for that. Chandler ran his mile about nine seconds faster than last year. Last year he placed first, and this year he placed fourth. The kid that won the mile won by a long shot! Chandler didn’t seem terribly disappointed as he was just happy that he had ran faster than the previous year. It meant that Chandler did not place in any of the events that he competed in, but he said that next year he’d like to participate in a few more events. As for all the teachers, we are glad that week is behind us! 

Wyatt’s 15th birthday was on Saturday (April 20th). I can’t believe my smack-dab-in-the-middle-child is 15!!! Time is flying by! He was feeling a little better on Saturday and asked if Roger would take him golfing for his birthday. We had lunch together at a Mexican restaurant early in the afternoon, and then Roger took all the boys golfing. I think they had a good time, but Wyatt was exhausted when he came home. He showered and laid right down on the couch. I don’t remember the last time he was this sick for this long with just a constant low grade fever and headache (sounds like Covid). He went right to bed on his birthday, so we will have to celebrate with ice cream cake another time. 

It’s always nice when someone makes a meal or invites us over for dinner, and Jen invited us all over to her house on Sunday afternoon. Our church was hosting a singing group from a college, so all the Sunday school classes were combined. We had just sat down, and the students were singing their first song, when Wyatt broke down. I asked him what was the matter, and he replied that his head was hurting so badly and the music was making it worse. So Wyatt and I slipped out, and I took him to Jen’s house. He crawled right into bed, and I went back to church for the worship service. After church, we all went to Jen’s for lunch, and Wyatt still was looking pale. He didn’t eat much (a true sign to every mama of teenagers that something is not right), and when we went home in the afternoon, he showered and laid back down on the couch. Our family had already made arrangements to go over to the Hardison’s house for supper and fellowship, so Wyatt stayed home. Wyatt started to make a change for the better on Sunday afternoon, but we decided to have him stay home anyways- no one else wants to be sick! We had a good time at the Harrison’s, even though it was raining. They also have a fairly young pup, so Sam had a great time getting all dirty out in the yard with Marley the pup! We enjoyed conversations, food and fellowship, and we are thankful for friendships. 

Monday morning was the morning of the big event for the elementary art competition. I get nervous that I’ll have accidentally missed a direction or did a step wrong. The last thing I want is for any of our art to be disqualified! All the art had to be dropped off at ten am, so I spent the morning checking and re-checking the directions, the paperwork, and having students sign the paperwork. I gave a huge sigh of relief when it was all safely delivered! 

On Tuesday, Kaycee and I had to re-arrange our normal art schedules. Since the competition this week is for 3rd-6th grade, we had art classes for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. I would’ve loved to have had art with everyone, but there are not enough hours in the day! I decided that kindergarten, first and second grades needed the art specials more as they won’t be getting out of school for the competition. I don’t always do it perfectly, but I do work hard to try to make sure that the teachers get their specials for their classes. 30 minutes of planning can and will make a big difference to a teacher! Having taught in the classroom, I know how valuable those planning periods are, so I try to make it happen. Since the art room was being used, we had art classes in the back foyer of one of our buildings. It’s a fairly big space, but it’s also a walk-through area for students going out to recess, lunch, bathrooms, etc. It was a crazy Tuesday, but by the grace of God, we made it through! I am also very thankful that we don’t have to do it like that every week! 

Tomorrow will be a big day for our elementary students as they compete in many events. I’ve been working with our Bible Sword Drill teams, and I’m ready to have this behind us as well. I certainly don’t mind helping out with these students, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. But between art, Bible Sword drill and my own kids, I am thankful that this competition will be over this week! We have a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade team for Bible Sword drill. My friend, Jennifer, and I have been working with the students for several weeks trying to prepare them for this competition. The younger grades get 10 seconds to find the Bible reference and the older grades get 7 seconds! That’s not much time when you’re trying to find a reference in 66 books of the Bible! However, they’ve worked hard, and we are praying that all that hard work will come to fruition tomorrow. 

It’s hard to believe, but in four weeks from Friday, school will be over for another year! The boys have been busy trying to get jobs lined up for the summer. Garett’s boss from last summer said that he might have some work for Garett, so please pray that will open up for Garett again. Chandler applied for an internship job through a local community college. He had to complete a hefty online interview and then this past week, he was called for a face-to-face interview. I took him to his interview on Tuesday, and they said that they would notified the students that would be hired by May 6th. This would be a fantastic opportunity for Chandler as it’s an internship with some class time as well as hands-on learning, and he would be paid. However, they’re only accepting 12 applicants, and there were about 45 that had face-to-face interviews. But we will pray and see what God does. 

In closing, I really should go back to writing on the blog once a week! So much happens in two weeks that it’s hard to keep up with all the details! Garett had a bit of a rough week last week, and we spent much time in prayer and talking with him. If he’s brought to your mind, please pray for him. I’m thankful that God loves our children so very, very much. Garett will also be running for Student Body President next week, so I know he’d appreciate your prayers for that. He is very excited about the opportunity, but also a little nervous. I’m excited to see him campaign. :) 

Chandler and Wyatt will compete in their final golf tournament on Monday, and I am trying to work out the details to go and watch them play. Garett’s baseball season is wrapping up next weekend (first weekend in May), and Travis will start his soccer games with a game on May 10th. He’s excited about playing, and we are hoping that perhaps God will also provide a friend on his team. 

God is good. We are waiting on God for some answers regarding schooling for our children next fall. It’s always hard to step out in faith, but God is always faithful. For whatever reason, God gave us several children that really do struggle with school. (I’m thankful that Jen helps out with tutoring Travis and Garett in some of their subjects!!) This doesn’t mean that these children are not smart, responsible, and respectful,  but it does mean that as their mama, I have to stay on top of things a little more than with some of our other children. It can be tiring, exhausting and overwhelming, but I’m so thankful for the precious gift of each of our children.  Christ’s  mercy is more than I can imagine, and when I am overwhelmed, His mercy is more…

New Life, New Memories and Moments!

 

(Started on 3/29)

Praise the Lord- spring break is finally here!!! It’s been a long time and coming, and I am looking forward to a bit of reprieve over the next few days. We are looking forward to celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday. Our church is having a Good Friday service tomorrow night, a community outreach event on Saturday morning, and services on Sunday. We are looking forward to the opportunity to reflect on what Jesus has done as well as point others in our community to Jesus through our community event. Also on Saturday our oldest boys are coming home as well as my sister and my dad! Yay!!!! 

My parents arrived in North Carolina last Monday evening, and while my dad has been in the Dominican Republic, my mom has helped with getting the boys where they need to be, reading with Emma, and enjoying time with her family in the western side of the state. Last Tuesday afternoon my parent came to watch Garett play in his baseball game. However, Garett had said on Monday that his arm was hurting him a bit. By Tuesday afternoon, he was in quite a bit of pain, and he was unable to play in the game. That was disappointing to him and my parents, but clearly he had strained something in his arm. Hopefully he will have some time to rest his arm over spring break, and be ready to return to baseball after break. 

Last Wednesday my parents checked the younger three out of school a little early to take them to lunch. Whenever Papa is around, things happen! Jen and Travis have devised a plan to raise some chickens for eggs. Jen suggested to Travis that perhaps she would get some chickens after the missions trip. However, by the time Jen and I arrived home from school, the chicken coop was built and the chickens were in a tote with a heat lamp! The plan is for the chickens to live in Jen’s backyard, but currently, we are babysitting half a dozen chickens. Travis has done very well with taking care of them, watering them, cleaning out their pen, and even helping to find a different pen for them as they are growing quickly. The chicks cannot be outside yet, but thankfully, they’ve been moved to the shed at our house. Originally Travis had the chicks in the tote in our mudroom, but I told him the chickens were smelly. He replied, “It’s fine, Mom. They don’t smell that badly.” Um, son, the chicks are moving out! 

The boys stayed overnight at Jen’s house on Thursday night since they were leaving at 2:15am on Friday morning. Chandler did not want to miss his last golf practice, so I told him I would finish his packing as long as he didn’t care what he was wearing. He replied, “Oh, I already packed most of my clothes. Mr. Hardison (our athletic director) gave us some old jerseys and shorts. I’m just going to wear those and then leave the clothes there. Then I have less to pack!” However, in every picture I’ve seen of him on Facebook, he’s wearing the same orange shirt and gray shorts! I finally sent my sister a message and asked if he’s changed clothes this week. She said that outfit was his painting and concrete work outfit as he doesn’t want to wreck his other clothes. But he has showered and changed clothes this week- thank the Lord! They’ve been busy with moving lots of dirt, mixing and pouring cement, helping with Vacation Bible School, and a lot of other things. I’m sure they’ll come home exhausted, but we are so very thankful that Garett and Chandler have had this opportunity. We are praying for them to be a blessing and get a blessing. Missions trips can change your life. 

Emma has been praying about getting a dog for about a year now. She’s been praying specifically for a German Shepherd. Roger and I have been saying that God will provide a dog in His perfect timing. I couldn’t imagine adding a dog into our lives, but guess what? Here we are! A co-worker of Roger’s mentioned to him last week that she had a friend that was trying to get rid of some puppies. The puppies were pure-bred German shepherds, and they were selling them for $1,000 a piece! Um- no thank-you! However, the co-worker continued on to explain that this family had two (14 week) puppies that they just wanted to give away to good homes. I was pretty sure that I didn’t need a 14 week puppy in my life, but the pup would be free, and it was a German Shepherd- should we go look?! So on Friday, March 22, we went over to see the puppies or we tried! They had let the puppies out to run off some energy, and the puppies were no where to be found! The pups had run off with the two older 6 month dogs and there was one puppy left to see! The pup that was left at home had a hernia, and we knew we didn’t want to start off with vet visits. We decided that we would come back on Saturday to see the other puppies. Wyatt, Travis and Emma were thrilled with the thought of getting a dog, Roger thought it would be a good idea for our family, so I was the one holding out! We went back to see the pups on Saturday, and there was Sam. Sam was one of the 14 week old pups, and we could’ve chosen one of the six month old dogs, but at six month they’ve already learned a lot of bad habits. Sam was the one that we picked out, as he seemed calm and collected. Sam came home with us, and while the trip home was a bit rough as Sam got car sick, we made it home. Sam was very reserved the first few days, but he’s been a good change for our family. Roger has worked with Sam a lot, and Wyatt and Travis are very good with Sam. Emma loves Sam, and he puts up with her. God answered Emma’s prayer, and I hope that she never forgets that! 

My mom came back from visiting her family on the western side of the state on Tuesday, and we surprised her with showing her Sam! It was nice that my mom was around this week as she could take the boys and Emma right home after school to check on the pup, and the boys and Emma were excited to get out of school a little early twice this week! Also, since my mom has been in town this week, I asked her to come to read to my library classes. She was willing to read, and my assistant (Jen) and I were happy to have her read! It’s always nice to have a guest reader in the library, and I’m thankful that my mom was willing to read. 

(Continued 4/2) Friday was our first official day of Spring Break! It was a day of lots of activities as we prepared for guests in our home for Easter Dinner. The boys began their trip back to the U.S. on Friday, and arrived home on Saturday afternoon. Our church had sent out an email saying that there would be a baptismal service on Easter Sunday. Emma has been asking about baptism for a while, so we contacted Pastor. After the Good Friday service, Emma went to talk to Pastor Powell. Roger and I went with her, but she talked with Pastor Powell on her own. She cried a little as she talked about her salvation and how she knew that Jesus had died for her sins. After a short conversation, she asked about being baptized on Sunday. It was arranged that Emma would be one of the four to be baptized on Sunday. She was so excited (and nervous), but she wanted to surprise Papa, Nana and Aunt Jen. We tried to surprise her older brothers too, but Travis let the cat out of the bag on Sunday morning! 

Saturday morning found Emma and I back at church for a community event for Easter. I had been asked to face paint (something, I’ve never done before!). I was completely nervous for most of the time while painting faces, and I passed on anything harder than flowers and hearts to my friend, Kaycee. Yes, I teach elementary art, but it’s different when I’m following along to written directions, have practiced the art project, and it’s not on a person’s skin! Whew! We made it! I’m thankful for my friend, Kaycee, who was willing to help with the face painting. There were quite a few of us that were face painting, and there were a lot of kids that wanted their faces painted!! Emma enjoyed the morning playing with her friends on the inflatables, participating in the egg hunt, and enjoying the beautiful day. God blessed us with a beautiful day for the event, and there were a lot of people that came out for it. 

After the morning event, Emma and I went home to get Sam and Travis. Wyatt decided to stay home, but Sam needed to go to the walk-in clinic at Tractor Supply to get a rabies shot and a check-up. I wasn’t thrilled about the amount of time we spent waiting in line, and neither was Sam, but we made it! Sam now has the shots that he needed, and he probably won’t want to visit Tractor Supply again any time soon! On our way back from the clinic, we stopped at Jen’s to pick up Garett and Chandler. Yay! Both boys were completely surprised that we had gotten a pup while they were away, and it was a good surprise. Sam has been a good dog so far- he’s calm, gentle, and gets along with all the kids. I didn’t want a puppy, but Sam has fit in quite nicely. 

Sunday was a full, tiring, but great day! We were going to be having about 40 people over for lunch, which dropped to about 35, but still a full house! We had been praying that God would give us beautiful weather so that everyone could be outside, and He did! Our friends, the Everetts, came down on Saturday evening, and Laura and I were up early to prep and cook. We surprised ourselves with everyone being ready for church super early. Emma and I needed to be at church by 9:15am as she was singing with the kids choir. She was a little nervous about the baptism, but also excited. Emma and I headed to church, and the rest stopped for coffee before church. It was a full service with lots of singing (I love that part), the baptism, and preaching. It was a great service! 

Around 1:30pm, we had Easter dinner at our house. Our house was full, but so were our hearts. There was PLENTY of food, and it was all delicious! We had my parents, Jen, Everetts, Harrison’s, Tamela’s parents, Carrillos, and the Lee family over for lunch. The kids spent the entire afternoon outside with basetkball, golfing, and playing together. The adults fellowshipped together and kept track of little ones and puppies! The Everett’s had their dog, the Harrison’s had their pup, and we had Sam! The Hardison’s dog, Marley, and Sam wrestled and played together for hours and then would flop over for a nap. It was fun to watch them play, and the kids enjoyed holding the chicks, walking the dog and being outside. We are so thankful that God blessed us with a beautiful day, and I am thankful for Ressurrection Sunday. Food is good, fellowship is great, memories are wonderful, but the most precious and awesome part of it all is that Jesus Rose Again! What a day to celebrate! Death was defeated and Jesus conquered the grave! Praise the Lord! 

We are looking forward to a few days off of school! These first few days are supposed to be warm and beautiful, but then it’s supposed to turn chilly again. We will also be working on a few school projects that need to be finished up before we return- such as a science project, animal notebook, and fine arts project- never a dull moment!

In closing, God is good, so good. I’m starting a devotional book on the names of God, and the first one in the book is God- Elohim, meaning the Strong Creator. How much we have to be thankful for in this life! Looking at the choices of those in leadership in our country and what’s happening around the world, would cause me to be depressed in a hurry! But we can rejoice that our confidence is in God and not in mankind!